Shmuel

The “sick bay” was a sick bay by name only. The forty or so piglets contained in the small shed were not being treated for any of their obvious signs of illness or injury. They were simply in a holding pattern, waiting unknowingly for their lives to end. Spray painted markings on their little bodies told of when their deaths would come.

The rescue team walked slowly through the damp straw, scanning every inch of the shed for those most in need; a decision never made without heartache… heartbreak. A careful foot gently nudged a lifeless body under the wet, stale straw and a sad, silent rescuer knelt down to uncover a dead piglet.

As the piglet was lifted from his grave an almost inaudible sound escaped his lips. Was it just gas leaving his already decomposing body? The rescuer ran her hands across his skeletal frame and felt the slightest rise of his chest. The piglet was alive. Never before had the rescuer seen a piglet so thin and yet still breathing. His eyes were sealed shut with faeces and mud. The blind, barely living piglet was then carried away, across ditches and fields and electric fences, to the warmth of a car, hidden in the scrub.

Shmuel being rescued from an RSPCA approved pig farm

Sunrise showed the full extent of the piglet’s condition. Not only was he nothing more than skin and bones, he was terribly deformed. Scoliosis of the spine meant he could not lift his nose more than a centimetre or two from the ground. He was also suffering from a respiratory infection that caused him to struggle with each breath. Immediately he was started on what was hoped to be life saving medications and was given tiny amounts of food around the clock, to allow his body to learn again to accept sustenance.

His eyes were tenderly washed; his sight restored. Sadly there was no spark of will, of defiance; the little piglet’s spirit was crushed. But he did love cuddles, and wrapped up in a blanket would rest his head against whoever would hold him for as long as they could hold him. He would soak up any affection there was to be had, and of course there was much affection to be offered.

“He would soak up any affection there was to be had, and of course there was much affection to be offered.”

This story does not have a happy ending. The little piglet died one morning shortly after his rescue. He took his last breath as his carer brought his breakfast to him. She desperately tried to save him, blowing air from her lips to his and pleading with him to keep trying, but he was gone. He was gone and the carer cried.

When are people going to realize that there is no guilt free, ethical way to consume flesh. Thank you for your love and care for dear, precious Shmuel, at least he knew love, care and kindness unlike most of his kind.

Sally, absolutely right – no-one can eat animal flesh and expect to have clean hands and a clear conscience. All animals exist for their own reasons, and they feel hunger, thirst, fear, pain, grief, loneliness and isolation. Yet ‘humans’ think it is okay to load these innocent, terrified beings onto huge trucks, and they are taken to be slaughtered. There is no such thng as ‘humane slaughter’. Everyone who eats meat should have to go to a slaughterhouse and see the horrors inflicted on these gentle, innocent beings. Shmuel, lovely little creature, rest in peace, no human can hurt you ever again. So glad that he knew love and kindness at the end.

R.I.P. poor darling Schmuel. I’m sorry, you were born into this cruel world full of heartless,empty humans. My dream is for a vegan world where all species can live their full natural life, where no life is used or abused, tortured or murdered.

Well done, RSPCA indeed. If this is the result of your work for the animals then clearly you are doing a s*** job. What can you expect of those running agribusiness/research labs/hunting societies etc. when you, who have devoted yourself and your work to these creatures fail them in such a egregious way?? Nothing. Rest in peace, Schmuel – and all like you. You are free now.

Thank you for this beautiful, bittersweet story. The beauty lies in the fact that in his last days, he knew kindness and tenderness for the first time in is unimaginably cruel life. God bless his care givers.

Bless you ALV for saving Shmuel and offering comfort to him in his final days. His story like the many others brings tears to my eyes and sadness to my heart. I am so very sorry you were hurt so badly. RIP little darling xxxooo

Thank you for the love and care shown to this poor animal the only positive about the whole story is that he did know love and compassion in his too short life. I do not eat pigs or sheep or cows or chickens its time as a society that we showed more love less greed, more kindness less cruelty and put an END to eating animals.

Thank you for showing Shmuel a little ray of light in his short but painful and obscure life. It is heartbreaking that we are allowing this to continue. Human domination of other species must come to an end.

makes me ashamed to be human…I will NEVER understand the minds of some people…how they can have no feelings ….I am so pleased at least that Samuel died in friendly arms….shame on these wicked wicked people…why are people not going to jail for abuse on animals? we need answers!!!

I hate this hell on earth we humans have created. Poor beautiful creatures. Besides living a vegan life, what can we so to stop this cruel mistreatment of animals in farming. I want to help but don’t know where to start.

What has happened at this pig farm must not happen again. We have exploited God’s gift of pigs I am certain there are thousands more like Shmmuel that need love and care. May we continue to keep our hearts and minds open.

SHAME ON RSPCA – YOU ARE A DISGRACE FOR ENDORSING THESE HORRENDOUS ACTS OF ANIMAL ABUSE. I also complained to the ACCC quite some time ago for Ottway Pork misleading people into believing their product was true free range.

I was so horrified and cried my eyes out to read about little Smuel. As a nation we should be ashamed of what he and other battery-farmed animals are made to endure.

Thank you Animal Liberation for this website and your tireless efforts to rescue abused animals and raise awareness.

What a nightmare life we inflict on our fellow creatures, all they want is to enjoy the sunlight and life on this beautiful planet, and because of us they are born into misery and know only suffering–all to satisfy our appetites. How more horrid can the human race become? Bless you for loving this sweet baby.

I am so sorry this little baby did not survive, he did however get to spend the rest of his life with people who showed love and compassion to the poor baby> if this story doesn’t make people realize the horrors these poor animals endure everyday so people have a misconception these animals are treated humanly so that we can eat them, then nothing will. I am so happy to know that little Shmel had you to be there for him Blessings to you there is a special place in heaven for you all. And the only good thing I can say is karma is a bitch to do this to animals…

Poor, precious little angel but now you’ve got the love you and all living creatures deserve.
The RSPCA should be fined a million pounds. They do nothing to help animals – they only know how to collect money.
Be happy and free little one <3

Heartbreaking, couldn’t stop crying And even more so for all the other piglets and animals undergoing such torture, abuse and cruelty beyond words every single second and feeling so helpless for these innocent and peaceful beings. Praying for a world in which one day only vegans exist…

On & on go the killings; pigs are bright & full of energy. Please do not eat them & this will solve the problem. Let them live as they enjoy life & want to continue. Slaughter houses are the worst & the people there are so unkind to pigs…babies or adults. Our world is certainly an unkind one.

I am sitting here reading this crying, what evil, cruel, sadistic, barbaric, torturous, sick, heartless and soulless monsters to do this to this baby pig and all of the others. The evil monsters that did this should have been jailed for so long and never allowed to own or be near any animals again. Poor beautiful babies.